Archive for the ‘The War Against games’ Category

In the midst of yet another tragic school shooting, Jack Thompson is all to eagar to stand up and point to Video Games as the cause. Well MSNBC, took the innitiative take a stand against Thompson and his ignorant, uniformed (which are technically the same thing), and self promoting ways.

My biggest problem is with the first sentence “Critics are calling it the most violent video game ever for children.” The games not for children how many times do we have to say it. The game is clearly for adults and is in no way going to be marketed towards a young audience. This whole thing just annoys me, the game got downgraded to M because Rockstar took out some of the inappropriate material, it’s not some giant controversy.

The below is just a portion of an on going back and forth between Jack Thompson and Rockstar games.

From: Jack Thompson

Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 4:55 PM

Subject: Letter to Take-Two’s Strauss Zelnick, Ben Feder Re Manhunt 2

Dear Mr. Zelnick and Mr. Feder:

Congratulations on receiving a “Mature” rating for Manhunt 2. You’ll live to regret it (trust me), so enjoy it while you can.

I want to bring to your attention the fact that at http://www.rockstargames.com anyone of any age can order Manhunt 2 and receive it, with no age verification whatsoever. Asking a 14-year-old if he’s 17 is not age verification, now is it?

You also know that the use of a bank card as an age verifier is a violation of all bank card agreements, right?

Mr. Thompson,Your statements regarding our practices are false, as you know or should have known.

The Take Two website verifies age in two ways. First, consumers who purchase M or RP rated games certify that they are at least 17 years of age. Numerous websites use the same method for verifying age in connection with sales of movies and games. Second, we verify age through the use of a credit card number in connection with a transaction. Such transaction based verification is acceptable to both credit card companies and the FTC (see, e.g. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.shtm).

We demand that you cease making these false statements about our online sales practices. Your dissemination of knowingly false statements for the purpose of adversely affecting Take-Two’s business is actionable and we reserve all of our rights under the settlement agreement and state and federal law.

Not only are your statements clearly false, but they were made in an email publicly disseminated to both the FTC and the press. Please be assured that I am happy to answer any questions you have concerning our practices in a private communications. It is for this very reason that our settlement agreement designates a legal contact for you at Take Two.

If you continue to make false statements to an audience of press and public officials, however, we will have no choice but to take action against you.

As you should be aware, credit cards cannot be used to verify the age of buyers. Kids have credit cards, and they use parents’ credit cards. You have then got to be kidding me.

Take-Two is welcome to use age verification software that is available for on-line alcohol, firearm and other purchases of adult material. Stop lying.

Thanks

Jack Thompson, Attorney

———————————–

The rest here, well Jack Thompson sure is getting sassy, At this point he’s just harrassing Rockstar because they make M games. In my opinion, Jack Thompson needs to butt out, he’s a pretty bad lawyer to begin with, and if he didn’t keep attacking video games not only would no one ever know who he is but he wouldn’t have nearly as mant cases. And maybe that’s just my personal bias against him, but honestly this man is out of control. I have one more thing to say on this, KICK HIM TO THE CURB ROCKSTAR!!!

——-

By the way I’m going to be gone from the rest of the day into tomorow, so I’ll catch up any news I might miss when I return.

Well this Thursday Dr. Phil (who isn’t a a doctor) will be taping an episode that targets Video Game Violence and includes a “violent game specialist”. Well I can only see this as a problem for every one, especially if the “specialist” is everyones favorite idiotic anti-game lawyer Jack Thompson.